The municipal People's Committee today sent a document to the Department of Health, Department of Education and Training; Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, Thu Duc City People's Committee and districts on the implementation of the measles vaccination campaign in Ho Chi Minh City in 2024. This aims to attain a measles vaccine coverage rate that will aid in the prompt management of the epidemic development.
In alignment with this initiative, people's committees in districts and Thu Duc City are tasked with formulating plans and overseeing the execution of a measles vaccination campaign aimed at children aged 1 to 10 residing and studying within the region. Special attention will be given to identifying and reaching out to children in areas characterized by high population mobility and those in social protection facilities. To enhance accessibility, multiple vaccination sites will be established, ensuring the efficient utilization of the available vaccine supply within the shortest possible timeframe.
Local committees in wards, communes, and towns, along with various departments and organizations such as local police, neighborhood and hamlet management boards, and community health collaborator networks, are encouraged to work closely with health stations. Their objective is to review and compile lists, disseminate information, and engage the community to ensure that children aged 1-10 who have not received their complete measles-rubella vaccinations are brought in for immunization, irrespective of their permanent or temporary residency status. Special attention should be given to children from families and those residing in social assistance facilities.
Furthermore, the Department of Education and Training, along with the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, should collaborate with health centers to facilitate vaccination campaigns at educational institutions and social assistance facilities in the area, aiming to achieve comprehensive measles vaccine coverage as swiftly as possible. The Medical Center is also instructed to promptly update vaccination records in the National Immunization Information System immediately following the vaccinations and throughout the day.
Also today, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health sent a document to the Department of Culture and Society and the municipal People's Council, outlining the implementation of epidemic prevention activities by district people's committees, Thu Duc City, and related departments, agencies, and sectors in accordance with the direction of the City's Epidemic Prevention Steering Committee.
According to the Department of Health, the city health sector early forecast the measles outbreak based on the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic and the interruption of the measles vaccine supply for a long time in 2023. Moreover, the health sector’s prediction based on the results of the Department of Health's community immunity survey which showed that the rate of children with antibodies was only 70 percent or less (while this rate must reach 95 percent to prevent an epidemic).
With the number of measles cases continuously increasing in three months from May to August, the Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee officially announced a city-wide measles epidemic on August 27. Simultaneously, after this announcement was released, the Measles Prevention Plan was issued to all District People's Committees, Thu Duc City. This plan focuses on two important activities including a measles vaccination campaign to increase community immunity to help control the epidemic early and a campaign to protect children in high-risk groups to minimize deaths from measles.
However, by the end of August 29, 2024, localities reported that they had compiled a list of 271,036 children aged 1 - 5 years old, this number is only equivalent to about 62 percent of the number of children in Ho Chi Minh City on the National Immunization Information System (437,412 children).
The comprehensive review of children actually living in the districts, towns, and Thu Duc City is very important for the success of the measles vaccination campaign in the Measles Prevention and Control Plan. Currently, there are 17 districts that have only screened less than 80 percent of children in the system. Districts that screened less than 50 percent are Tan Binh (50 percent), Binh Thanh (46.9 percent), Cu Chi (42.3 percent), and Go Vap (33.5 percent).
In addition, out of 271,036 children listed, 54,861 have not received enough doses. However, in the first 5 days of the campaign, only 16,164 children were vaccinated (29 percent). More worryingly, districts with many cases but low vaccination progress are Binh Tan (10 percent), Thu Duc (24 percent).
